Which one of the following significantly contributes to the

Which one of the following significantly contributes to the specificity of base pairing in double-stranded DNA, i.e., limits base pairing to cytosine-guanine (C:G) or adenine-thymine (A:T)? the right handedness of double-stranded DNA hydrogen bonding between bases base-stacking interactions the phosphodiester bonds between phosphate groups and deoxyribose sugar molecules

Solution

Answer:

Base-stacking interactions

Explanation:

The purine and pyrimidine bases are hydrophobic and relatively insoluble in water at the near-neutral pH of the cell. At acidic or alkaline pH the bases become charged and their solubility in water increases. Hydrophobic stacking interactions in which two or more bases are positioned with the planes of their rings parallel (like a stack of coins) are one of two important modes of interaction between bases in nucleic acids. The stacking also involves a combination of van der Waals and dipole-dipole interactions between the bases. Base stacking helps to minimize contact of the bases with water, and base-stacking interactions are very important in stabilizing the three-dimensional structure of nucleic acids.